Automotive valve tool



J. T. CLARK June 19, 1962 AUTOMOTIVE VALVE TOOL Filed July 21, 1960 ma .l w M J United States Patent 3,039,180 AUTOMOTIVE VALVE TOOL James T. Clark, Fort Morgan, Colo., assignor to Clark- Feather Manufacturing (10., Fort Morgan, C0lo., a corporation of Colorado Filed July 21, 1960, Ser. No. 44,357 2 Claims. (Cl. 29-219) This invention relates to a tool for removing and replacing valves in internal combustion engines, more particularly to a tool for compressing a valve spring so that access may be had to the conventional spring retaining keys on the valve stem for removal and replacement of the valve.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a highly efiicient adjustable spring compressing tool which can be quickly and easily placed in position upon the valves of any type of automotive engine; which can be readily actuated in closely restricted engine compartments; which will automatically lock in the compressed position to free both hands of the mechanic for the removal and replacement of the valve retaining keys; and to provide a valve spring compressing tool which can be released from the valve with one hand while spring retaining keys are being held in position with the other hand.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efficiency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

'In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the improved valve tool illustrating it in the open position for replacement on a conventional valve;

FIG. 2 is a similar side view illustrating the tool in the closed or spring compressing position;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the tool in the open position of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view looking downwardly on the line 44, FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a detail section taken on the line 55, FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a similar detail section taken on the line 66, FIG. 1.

For the purpose of illustrating the action of the improved tool, conventional elements of an internal combustion engine valve structure have been indicated in broken line and designated by numerals as follows: valve 10, valve stem 11, valve spring 12, valve spring seat washer 13, and valve spring retaining keys 14. The keys 14 are two halves of a split cone which fits into a receiving socket in the seat washer 13. The keys are provided with internal key ridges 15 which fit into key grooves 16 in the valve stem 11 when the valve is in the assembled position of FIG. 1.

This tool is designed to lift the seat washer 13 along the stem 11 by compressing the spring 12 to allow free access to the keys 14, as shown in FIG. 2.

The improved tool comprises two, similar C-shaped members 17 and 18 which are welded or otherwise fixedly secured at their forward upper extremities to a vertical tubular guide sleeve 19. The two frame members 17 and 18 are maintained in fixed, spaced-apart, parallel position by means of tubular spacing members surrounding attachment rivets extending between and riveted to the two frame members. As illustrated, there are three attachment rivets between the frame members. They comprise: an upper link rivet 20, surrounded by a tubular 3,039,180 Patented June 19, 1962 ICC spacing sleeve 21; a lever rivet 22, surrounded by a tubular spacing, sleeve 23; and a lower attachment rivet 24, surrounded by a tubular spacing sleeve 25.

The lower extremities of the frame members 17 and 18 are narrowed in width and a spring seat jaw 26 is secured about each narrowed lower extremity, by means of suitable attachment screws 27. The spring seat jaws extend forwardly to provide two spaced seat ledges 28 for receiving the spring seat washer 13 of a valve. The spacing of the spring seat ledges 28 can be adjusted to accommodate seat washers and springs of various diameters by means of a tension screw 29 as is customary in valve spring compressing tools of this type.

A threaded plunger 30 is vertically slidable in the guide sleeve 19 in alignment with the axis of the spring seat ledges 28. The plunger 30 is threaded through and is adjustably supported in a vertically movable nut 31 from the opposite sides of which, pivot studs 32 project. The lower extremity of the plunger 30 is rotatably mounted in a circular foot disc 33.

The nut 31 is suspended from the forward extremity of a tilting lever 34 by means of a pair of swinging links 35 pivot-ally mounted at their lower extremities on the pivot studs 32 of the nut 31.

The tilting lever 34 is preferably formed of two similar parts, of like shape but of opposite hand. The forward extremity of each part of the tilting lever 34 is pivotally connected to one of the swinging links 35 by means of a pivot rivet 36. The two parts of the tilting lever 34 are pivotally suspended from the spacing sleeve 21, on the upper link rivet 20, by means of a pair of toggle suspension links 37 which are pivotally mounted at their lower extremities on opposite sides of and intermediate the extremities of the tilting lever 34 on a pivot rivet 38.

A curvated, actuating lever 39 of channel-shaped cross section is pivotally mounted on the spacing sleeve 23 about the lever rivet 22 so that it may be swung forwardly and rearwardly between the two frame members 17 and 18. The rear extremities of the two parts of the tilting lever 34 are pivotally mounted in the channel of the actuating lever 39 and between the sides of the latter on what might be termed a crank rivet 40. The crank rivet is relatively short so that it may pass between the frame members 17 and 18 and is positioned in offset eccentric relation to the axis of the lever rivet 22 so that it will move forward and back with the forward and back movement of the upper forward extremity of the actuating lever 39. The rear extremity of the actuating lever 39 is projected below and rearwardly from the lever rivet 22 to form what might be termed a heel portion 41.

Let us assume it is desired to compress the valve spring 12 so that the retaining keys 14 can be removed to allow the valve 10 and its stem to be withdrawn from the engine for replacement, regrinding or repairs. The actuating lever 39 is swung rearwardly to cause the tilting lever 34 to swing the toggle links 37 rearwardly and upwardly. The rearward and upward movement of the toggle links 37 is transmitted through the tilting lever 34 and the swinging links 35 to the nut 31 to slide the plunger 30 upwardly in the guide sleeve 19 to elevate the foot disc 33,

The foot disc 33 is now positioned on the valve 10 and the spring seat ledges 28 of the spring seat jaws 26 are placed beneath the valve spring seat washer 13, as shown in FIG. 1. The tool is now held in place with one hand while the frame members 17 and 18 and the downwardly and forwardly extending heel portion 41 of the actuating lever 39 are gripped in the other hand. This gripping action of the hand swings the lever 39 forwardly to lower the disc 33 onto the valve 10 so that the valve serves as a fulcrum to exert a preliminary gripping action on the valve spring 12 to hold the tool in place \1 until the other hand can be brought into play to swing the actuating lever 39 completely forward to the position of FIG. 2.

The forward motion of the actuating lever 39 will be communicated, at increased leverage, to the tilting lever 34 to cause the latter to move forwardly. The forward motion of the tilting lever 34 will cause the toggle links 37 to swing forwardly at their near extremities so as to exert a lifting action on the frame members 17 and 18 to raise the spring seat ledges 28 against the bias of the spring 12. This lifting'action is assisted by th eccentric swing of the lever rivet 40 about the axis of the crank rivet 22.

The reaction of the lifting action creates downward pressure at the forward extremity of the tilting lever. The latter forward extremity is supported from the immovable valve through the medium of the swinging links 35, the nut 31, the plunger 30 and the foot disc 33 so that the valve serves as a fulcrum for prying the frame "members upwardly to compress the spring 12.

It will be noted that, as the tilting lever moves forwardly, it will tilt the swinging links 35 forwardly until their upper extremities pass forward of the dead center position, that is, forward of the vertical axis of the plunger 30, as shown in FIG. 2, to automatically lock the tool with the spring 12 in the compressed position. When the tool is in the compressed position of FIG. 2 with the swinging links 35 titled forwardly, upward pressure on the nut 31 will tend to swing the upper pivot rivets 36 still further forward so as to cause the tilting lever 34 to exert a forward pull on the actuating lever 39 until the rear extremity of the lever 34 contacts the lever 39, as indicated at A in FIG. 2, to stop the forward movement and lock the link 35 in the forward locking position of FIG. 12.

The tool can be instantly released and removed from the valve with only one hand while the other hand is employed to hold a key retainer in place. This is accomplished by simply gripping the upper rear portion of the frame members 17 and 18 and the rearwardly and downwardly projecting heel portion 41 in the hand and then exerting pressure from the heel of the hand to force the heel portion 41 downwardly to swing the swinging links 35 rearwardly past the dead center position to allow the spring 12 to expand and throw the actuating lever rearwardly to the released position of FIG. 1.

Valve stems in various automotive engines vary in length. This improved tool can be preset .for stems of any given length by simply rotating the plunger 30' in the nut 31 to adjust the distance between the foot disc 33 and the nut 31 so that when the spring seat washer 13 is in position on the ledges 28, the disc 33 will be in 4 position on the valve 10. This adjustment need only be made when a different type of engine is encountered. The plunger is provided with a turning pin 42 to facilitate rotation of the plunger threads in the threaded nut 31 for ready adjustment.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is to be understood that the same may be varied within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a valve spring compressing tool of the type having a C-shaped frame, a spring-seating element at the lower forward extremity of said frame adapted to be brought beneath said valve spring, a tubular guide sleeve at the upper forward extremity of said frame in axial alignment with said seating element, a threaded plunger slidable through said guide sleeve and positioned to act against said valve, and a nut threaded on said plunger, means for urging said nut away from said frame to cause said spring seating element to compress said spring along said stern toward said valve, comprising an actuating lever pivotally mounted on said frame in spaced relation to said guide sleeve; a toggle suspension link pivoted at its upper extremity to said frame between said sleeve and said actuating lever; a titling lever pivotally mounted substantially at its middle on the lower extremity of said link 7 so as to be supported by the latter; means pivoting the rear extremity of said tilting lever to said actuating lever eccentrically of the pivot of the latter; and swinging links connected between the forward extremity of said tilting lever and said nut and suspending said plunger from the forward extremity of said tilting lever so that forward and back movement of said actuating lever will tilt said tilting lever using said suspension link as a fulcrum.

2. A tool as described in claim 1 having a heel portion formed on said actuating lever so as to project rearwardly from said frame when said spring is compressed so that said spring may be released by gripping said heel portion forwardly to said frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,332,128 Kvindlog et a1. Feb. 24, 1920 1,349,934 Austin Aug. 17, 1920 1,913,084 Kulp June 6, 1933 1,982,838 Sunnen Dec. 4, 1934 2,327,368 Olson Aug. 24, 1943 

